. >> reporter: team romney is feeling the momentum from his debate performance, and the obama campaign is admitting even the president realizes he didn't perform at his peak. >> i think you can assume that he's reviewed the tape, and it will inform -- it will inform how he handles these subsequent debates. >> reporter: it wasn't all bad news, the president was buoyed by the drop in the unemployment rate to below 8%, and he broke his own record by raising $181 million in just september, putting him on track to hit a billion dollars, and tonight the president is doing even more fund-raising in los angeles appearing at a small event with bill clinton too, but it's an issue from the debate -- >> governor romney's central economic plan calls for a $5 trillion tax cut. >> i don't have a $5 trillion tax cut. >> reporter: -- that has the campaigns arguing in television and web ads. >> not telling the truth. >> reporter: so what's the truth? romney does want to cut tax rates. that would reduce revenue by nearly $5 trillion over 10 years. he says he would offset that loss by eliminating loophole